Tamarac Dentist Elementary School Visit

Tamarac, FL, February 16, 2007 — Dr. Charles Nottingham, cosmetic dentist for South Florida Cosmetic Dentistry, visited Tamarac Elementary (which is in Broward County near Coral Springs) to educate and entertain a class of kindergarden and first graders. Accompanying Dr. Nottingham was his furry assistant Spunky the Donkey.

Dr. Nottingham began talking about what a dentist does and what equipment a dentist uses. The doctor explained that he has to wear gloves, a mask, and a coat in order to protect the patient and himself from germs. The children loved Dr. Nottingham’s magnifying glasses and thought the glasses looked funny. Dr. Nottingham exclaimed that the glasses were necessary to see very close up.

Then, Dr. Nottingham showed a video and strongly insisted that it was important that everyone brush their teeth. The doctor showed pictures of patients with plaque and the large cavities that resulted from not brushing one’s teeth. Dr. Nottingham asserted that children and adults should not eat sweets because bacteria feed off the sugar.

Towards the conclusion of the session, Dr. Nottingham showed Spunky the Donkey’s teeth and warned that Spunky lost some teeth because he did not brush enough. One of the children showed an ugly picture of one of Dr. Nottingham’s patients, displaying what happens when you don’t brush your teeth. The children loved this hideous picture.

Dr. Nottingham discussed with the children the process of losing baby teeth and getting adult teeth. The children learned that there are only 20 baby teeth and that eventually they should get 32 adult teeth (including four wisdom teeth). The class concluded with everyone counting Spunky the Donkey’s teeth. Remember, Spunky only had 30 teeth because he lost two from not brushing and flossing daily.

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To have one of our dentists speak at your school or organization, contact us at 954.721.6950 (Broward) or 561.347.7757 (Boca Raton) or send us an email.